Page 29 of Salvation
Nick twisted his mouth. “What happens if one of you gets pregnant?”
“We lose our home here. All of us must leave.”
“Seriously? They can do that?”
“It is in the parameters of our agreement with the Matirans,” K’rona shook her head. “It is a small thing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. Besides, would you want your child exposed to potential discovery and death every day?”
“Is theatolcevery expensive?” Sakura asked.
“The way the Matirans are purchasing it, yes. Very,” K’rona confirmed. “It is not something that they can get from Anferthia at this time, for obvious reasons.”
“And no one has taken the time to replicate and manufacture it here for you?” Probably not, but he had to ask.
K’rona shook her head, just as he’d expected. Were governments run by monkeys everywhere?
He glanced at Sakura. “I bet they buy it from the intergalactic version of the black market.”
She nodded. “One fake batch and we will be delivering babies.”
“Or one contaminated batch….” He trailed off. Holy shit, it couldn’t be. “You don’t suppose…?”
Sakura’s eyes widened and her complexion paled. “I do,” she whispered. “I really, really do.”
K’rona had blanched, confirming that she too understood the direction this conversation had gone.
“Where is theatolcestored, K’rona?”
“Each village has its own supply.” She rose, still looking ill. “I will take you.”
~*~
Nick tried to keep up with K’rona and not leave Sakura behind as they hurried through the dirt streets. The temperature had cooled over the past week, giving the air the definite crisp feel of autumn. The prolonged winter of the southern hemisphere of Matir would be here within a week, more or less.
“The injection is administered by B’iha,” K’rona explained in a low voice as they moved through the streets. Occasionally, she’d return a greeting from others as they passed, but otherwise seemed focused on their destination.
“B’iha?” She had no medical experience that he was aware of.
“She would not have known, Nicholaus. There is no reason for her to even suspect contamination.”
Of course not. None of them had, until now.
They stopped in front of one of the multitude of identical cubes that made up the village. All the villages, in fact. The words from a mid-twentieth century song he’d recorded over a year ago floated through his mind. Something about the houses being tacky because they all looked the same.
K’rona knocked lightly, a warning to anyone inside that they were coming in, then she opened the door. In the antechamber beyond, a male Anferthian occupied a chair. “K’rona.” He smiled his greeting, then directed a respectful nod toward her Terrian entourage. “Healers.”
“Nero,” K’rona replied, spreading her hands and bowing her head. “Forgive me for this personal question, however, are you here to receiveatolce?”
Nero’s gaze darted between the three of them. “I have already received.”
Sakura mutter something under her breath in Japanese.
Nero continued, “Dacey is in receiving hers now. We are to be married nex—”
K’rona charged the closed door to their left. The resulting crack could have been the latch, the hinges, or the door itself, but it didn’t matter. As long as they got into the room beyond and stopped what was about to happen. The door gave under K’rona’s attack, and a woman’s shriek came from inside the room.
“Stop!” K’rona’s voice boomed with the strange echo effect Anferthians had when using their vocal cords to the maximum capability. B’iha froze, wide-eyed, a large needle in one hand. A second woman sat in a chair, her mouth forming an O of astonishment.
“B’iha, put away the syringe,” K’rona told the other woman calmly. “The healers have something to tell you.”
